Scattered - Tuesday, June 27 2006
another Session. short one, just under 2 hours; filling in details, articulating everything to fine tune, but always eventful. our conversation covered random topics such as:
a)my pitiful ability to hold/use chopsticks properly (we ordered takeout sushi),
b)the idiocy of the municipal police (4 hicks got pulled over for apparently no reason right in front of the shop, first by one cop who looked like he was 18, then not one, but TWO other cruisers came by for "backup" as they searched/questioned and basically just harassed the 4 occupants & wasted a whole lot of time/tax dollars), to more significant matters such as
c)religion (Christianity in particular) and abstinence...and to round it out,
d)why i really need to buck up and attend a Joe Satriani concert.
i somehow got my cali roll for free due to a mix-up w/ the delivery dude, and "Donatello" managed to make $60 @ the Dutchman's on a detour while picking up samosas.
*random: saw this movie a while ago on TV: Angel Eyes. thought it had a very unique/interesting storyline (for an American flick). despite what some may say/think about j-Lo these days, i quite liked it. jim caviezel (the Passion of the Christ, Count of Monte Cristo) was good in it too. i don't watch many movies, but i'd recommend this one if you're looking for something "interesting".
what to do
when it feels like your hands
are behind your back and tied?
...
be thankful that your feet are free,
and walk
by faith.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Moriguchi-shi
next stop for the ( . ):
(it's somewhere there, i don't think there's a dot for it, but i hear it's close to Kyoto)
Moriguchi is a city in Osaka Prefecture. apparently, it is the "sister-city" to New Westminster (whatever that means?).
JET preparation seminar was this past Sunday, a full day of speakers/workshops. just basically a good way to start filling in a lot of the blanks i have about this whole ordeal; what it'll be like, what to expect, how to prepare etc, as well as a good way to network/meet ppl who are going/have gone. now i hate this whole "networking/schmoozing" business, this element of the corporate world was a total turn-off for me, but Sunday's meeting was ok i guess. had a reception afterwards @ LK Dining Lounge in Yaletown (free food!).
so i'm finally starting to get a bit more excited about Japan, but at the same time a little more nervous too, as i begin to see all the work/details to be done/sorted out, as well as other non-JET related "odds and ends" that i need to take care of in about a month and a half...oh, and did i mention i'm still working F/T till July 21st? O_o
here's a thought: Theme music
music was always an integral part of life for me, and given that, i'm not surprised to find that in the past i've associated certain events/stages of life w/ songs that convey/express the emotions felt at the time. this is a generalization of course; meaning the certain tone/mood of the song wasn't the way i felt the ENTIRE time i was in a certain place (i.e. i didn't ALWAYS feel happy/sad, melancholic/pumped up), but it does conjure up memorable experiences from when i was there, and anytime i hear that song again it brings my thoughts back to the place where i sorta just decided...y'know what, this fits. kinda like how certain cartoon/movie characters have their theme songs. i'm not saying I have a theme song =P, just that certain chapters/events in my life do. examples:
WATERLOO - 100 Years (Five for Fighting)
i first heard this track sampled while watching Smallville on my laptop, while munching on a delicious homemade meal (par chef Raphael) in my basement apartment @ 395 Hell-hole street during my 2nd year @ UW. i really liked the basic piano melody...just sort of ambling along the way, not rushed, not really going anywhere, just enjoying the scenery.
after obtaining a copy of the song, i would often find myself listening to it as i journeyed through the 'Loo; whether i was walking to/about/from campus, biking through downtown/through the snow alongside the highway, or finding my way home deliriously through the night after a boring night of class...i found the song just...very soothing. it helped me think/meditate on just being there @ UW, soaking up the essence of being a (poor and hungry =P) student.
the emotions/memories from my years @ UW will probably stay w/ me for the rest of my life (barring any future brain injuries/amnesia =P), and whenever i hear that song i'll remember the warm glow of amber street lights reflecting off the cold snow at night, and the crunch of the snow beneath my feet as i walked along...staring at the road ahead as my breath turned to mist before my eyes, floating up into the cool night air:
Hong Kong - Wake me Up When September Ends (Green Day)
this was just one of the handful of english songs i had on rotation w/ me as i set out for HK/China in February of 2005. it was a relatively new song back then (American Idiot had just come out i think), and aside from me being able to connect w/ it b/c i happen to be a September baby (yeah i'm egocentric like that sometimes), i just liked the whole "lonely" mood of the song. even though i was lucky enough to be shown around by family and friends during the trip, being a solitary traveler is kinda nice, esp. at the end of a long/busy day. you learn to treasure your quiet time, use it to reflect and just refresh your mind so you can relax and have energy for the next 24hours.
one of the main places where i stayed was @ Uncle Tyrone's apartment on Eastern HK Island (Sau Kei Wan). the complex was situated on top of some hills, and i loved the fact that in about 5min. i could walk down out of the buildings, through the bus station, hop a fence and there i could find a spot to sit and just chill on the hillside overlooking the sparkling night lights of the city. okokok yes, i know i know; hold the cheese mr. Lee, but seriously...after a long/busy/noisy day, enjoying some fresh air and solitude with the (still) noisy city sounds muffled from my perch on the hillside...that was some much needed mental rest. i'd spend probably about 15-20min. there just sitting, surveying the city lights, and listening to music. it was like i had my own HUGE private balcony. this song stuck w/ me for whatever reason, and it's now come to represent that image/view from that particular perch on the hillside:
so, i wonder what the theme music for this next "episode" in life will be? some hauntingly meditative shakuhachi melody? a mystically exotic koto/shamisen harmony? or maybe an intense, powerful taiko rhythm...? it'll be interesting to see what influences me over there, but i'm sure something will strike a chord (ignore the punjabi).
there is something on my mind, and possibly much to leave behind.
i let it slip...
but, at the least, it's off mychest shell.
the cat has left the hat.
*random: i've been fighting off the intoxicating smell of nail polish in the office lately. all the ladies seem to think the sunny weather is an appropriate excuse to decorate their toes during the day.
O_o
personally, i prefer to paint mine in the fall.
(it's somewhere there, i don't think there's a dot for it, but i hear it's close to Kyoto)
Moriguchi is a city in Osaka Prefecture. apparently, it is the "sister-city" to New Westminster (whatever that means?).
JET preparation seminar was this past Sunday, a full day of speakers/workshops. just basically a good way to start filling in a lot of the blanks i have about this whole ordeal; what it'll be like, what to expect, how to prepare etc, as well as a good way to network/meet ppl who are going/have gone. now i hate this whole "networking/schmoozing" business, this element of the corporate world was a total turn-off for me, but Sunday's meeting was ok i guess. had a reception afterwards @ LK Dining Lounge in Yaletown (free food!).
so i'm finally starting to get a bit more excited about Japan, but at the same time a little more nervous too, as i begin to see all the work/details to be done/sorted out, as well as other non-JET related "odds and ends" that i need to take care of in about a month and a half...oh, and did i mention i'm still working F/T till July 21st? O_o
here's a thought: Theme music
music was always an integral part of life for me, and given that, i'm not surprised to find that in the past i've associated certain events/stages of life w/ songs that convey/express the emotions felt at the time. this is a generalization of course; meaning the certain tone/mood of the song wasn't the way i felt the ENTIRE time i was in a certain place (i.e. i didn't ALWAYS feel happy/sad, melancholic/pumped up), but it does conjure up memorable experiences from when i was there, and anytime i hear that song again it brings my thoughts back to the place where i sorta just decided...y'know what, this fits. kinda like how certain cartoon/movie characters have their theme songs. i'm not saying I have a theme song =P, just that certain chapters/events in my life do. examples:
WATERLOO - 100 Years (Five for Fighting)
i first heard this track sampled while watching Smallville on my laptop, while munching on a delicious homemade meal (par chef Raphael) in my basement apartment @ 395 Hell-hole street during my 2nd year @ UW. i really liked the basic piano melody...just sort of ambling along the way, not rushed, not really going anywhere, just enjoying the scenery.
after obtaining a copy of the song, i would often find myself listening to it as i journeyed through the 'Loo; whether i was walking to/about/from campus, biking through downtown/through the snow alongside the highway, or finding my way home deliriously through the night after a boring night of class...i found the song just...very soothing. it helped me think/meditate on just being there @ UW, soaking up the essence of being a (poor and hungry =P) student.
the emotions/memories from my years @ UW will probably stay w/ me for the rest of my life (barring any future brain injuries/amnesia =P), and whenever i hear that song i'll remember the warm glow of amber street lights reflecting off the cold snow at night, and the crunch of the snow beneath my feet as i walked along...staring at the road ahead as my breath turned to mist before my eyes, floating up into the cool night air:
Hong Kong - Wake me Up When September Ends (Green Day)
this was just one of the handful of english songs i had on rotation w/ me as i set out for HK/China in February of 2005. it was a relatively new song back then (American Idiot had just come out i think), and aside from me being able to connect w/ it b/c i happen to be a September baby (yeah i'm egocentric like that sometimes), i just liked the whole "lonely" mood of the song. even though i was lucky enough to be shown around by family and friends during the trip, being a solitary traveler is kinda nice, esp. at the end of a long/busy day. you learn to treasure your quiet time, use it to reflect and just refresh your mind so you can relax and have energy for the next 24hours.
one of the main places where i stayed was @ Uncle Tyrone's apartment on Eastern HK Island (Sau Kei Wan). the complex was situated on top of some hills, and i loved the fact that in about 5min. i could walk down out of the buildings, through the bus station, hop a fence and there i could find a spot to sit and just chill on the hillside overlooking the sparkling night lights of the city. okokok yes, i know i know; hold the cheese mr. Lee, but seriously...after a long/busy/noisy day, enjoying some fresh air and solitude with the (still) noisy city sounds muffled from my perch on the hillside...that was some much needed mental rest. i'd spend probably about 15-20min. there just sitting, surveying the city lights, and listening to music. it was like i had my own HUGE private balcony. this song stuck w/ me for whatever reason, and it's now come to represent that image/view from that particular perch on the hillside:
so, i wonder what the theme music for this next "episode" in life will be? some hauntingly meditative shakuhachi melody? a mystically exotic koto/shamisen harmony? or maybe an intense, powerful taiko rhythm...? it'll be interesting to see what influences me over there, but i'm sure something will strike a chord (ignore the punjabi).
there is something on my mind, and possibly much to leave behind.
i let it slip...
but, at the least, it's off my
the cat has left the hat.
*random: i've been fighting off the intoxicating smell of nail polish in the office lately. all the ladies seem to think the sunny weather is an appropriate excuse to decorate their toes during the day.
O_o
personally, i prefer to paint mine in the fall.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
a True Story - June 2 2006
*listen...
one night, i sat
down at a piano with my thoughts
(Don't panic)
on something beautiful.
i started playing;
just simple n.o.t.e.s ,
(Don't be alarmed)
c-h-o-r-d-s . then,
unexpectedly i saw that
(Something's gotta give)
something beautiful appear
before my eyes.
and, i kept playing:
(Something's gonna give)
this is what came
out...
(Soon)
-(inspired)-
one night, i sat
down at a piano with my thoughts
on something beautiful.
i started playing;
just simple n.o.t.e.s ,
c-h-o-r-d-s . then,
unexpectedly i saw that
something beautiful appear
before my eyes.
and, i kept playing:
this is what came
out...
Saturday, June 03, 2006
talk to me - Friday, June 2 2006
aah...the warm weather's shrunken back a bit, but carefree summer days loungin' at the beach are near. i kinda miss those endless summer nights hanging out, random fun (even the occasional hooliganism), seems like so long ago...
it's hard to find time/energy after work to enjoy what's out there; open water swims, biking through trails, hiking up the Grind, just to BE OUT THERE, wherever. i guess another part of it is not having someone readily available to do stuff w/ too; what w/ ppl so busy these days, plus not everyone really wants to do the same things. hmmmm, that gets me thinking...
i wonder what it is that attracts 2 people to each other? there are many theories i've heard/come across: physical attraction, common interests, perceived compatibility etc. but what makes 2 people just seem to "click"? i don't know for sure, but i think at least one thing that seems essential is that they should be able to talk. not just meaningless banter either, but the kind you actually enjoy.
it doesn't have to be thought-provoking/ground-breaking philosophy all the time...i mean, we could talk about "nothing" even...just so long as it's genuine, sincere conversation that facilitates sharing and the desire to get to know the other person more. some ppl i talk to are pretty "uninteresting"...and ok maybe it all depends on the circumstances/situation in which the conversation takes place...but still, i think it means a lot to me that we can just "talk".
words w/o action are meaningless when talking about getting things done/setting examples (this i Believe), but when it comes to two people getting to know each other i think conversation matters just as much as(if not more than) what they physically "do". they could go on dates, fill their time together w/ activity and entertainment etc. but at the end of the day; when the wine is gone, the music stops, the stage is empty, and the sun has set...will we still manage to have something interesting to say to one another? i hope so.
Talk is not cheap.
welp, that's all the seriousness i have in me for now. until next time...
(congratulations if you were nosey enough to read this =P) on the flip-side, there's the kind of connection you can have w/ someone where words are not necessary at all (i'm not talking wild hormones/monkey sex); you just get that spark when you look at them and you feel like you can just sit and stare at each other in silence for the longest time and walk away feeling like it was a great conversation. of course this comes w/ time and usu. AFTER a lot of talking has already taken place and you truly know/trust each other. like my grandparents did...the greatest example; my grandpa sitting for hours on end by my dying grandma's bedside, not saying a word, occasionally holding her hand and just sitting there to be w/ her. now there's Love in action. but that's a thought for next time...
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